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In China, Pollution Crashes the Party
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News analysis by David Agrell, Newsdesk.org
China’s rapid economic growth has come at a cost: environmental degradation that stokes civil unrest, affects economic growth and ultimately surpasses its own borders. The problem has become so bad that the government now says further progress is impossible without first establishing targets to reduce the damage. But previous pollution-reduction plans have failed to meet such targets, and some solutions bring problems all their own. Industry and unrest
After 20 years of industrialization, two-thirds of the world’s most polluted cities are in China, threatening urban residents with illness and disease. Acid rain, polluted rivers and inadequate sewage treatment have left half the rural population without access to clean drinking water, says the World Health Organization (PDF).